Apparatus for casting metal.



No. 557,072. Patented Aug. 28, I900. W. J. PATTERSON.

APPARATUS FOR CASTING METAL.

(Application filed Dec. 6, 1899.)

' 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

NO. 657,072. Patented Aug. 28, I900. W. J. PATTERSON. APPARATUS FOR CASTING METAL.

(Application filed Dec, 6, 1899.\ (No Model.)

3 SheetsSheei 2.

m: uoams versus co, womumo. WASHINGTON. u c,

No. 657,072. Patented Aug. 28, I900.

W. J. PATTERSON.

APPARATUS FOR CASTING METAL.

{Application filed. Dec. 6, 1899.) (No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Wwzes as.

' UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM J. PATTERSON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR CASTING METAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,072, dated August 28, 1900.

Original application filed July 31, 1899, Serial N0. 725,604. Divided and this application filed December 6, 1899. Serial No.

739,386. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. PATTERSON, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Alle gheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Casting Metal; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Myinvention relates to the casting of metals, such as pig metal, being generally an improvement on th at set forth in Letters Patent No. 583,424, granted to A. M. Acklin May 25, 1897, and being a division of an application filed by me July 31, 1899, SerialNo. 725,604.-

The general method of cooling the pig metal embodied in said application for patent consists in completely submerging the metal in water maintained in a condition of ebullition in order to insure actual contact of the water with the metal and the more rapid cooling of the metal with a reduction of the amount of water necessary. In the preferred way of practising the invention the metal was first cooledby partially submerging the molds in water, and after it was withdrawn from the body of water in ebullition it was sprayed as it passed to the point of delivery.

One object of the present invention is to provide suitable apparatus for the practice of the above method with the most economical expenditure of water for cooling purposes. The apparatus provides for the use of the wa ter first for spraying the metal, then for cooling the molds before the submerging of the metal, and finally for cooling the metal by such submerging, the water being thus grad ually brought to the boiling-point.

The particular points of invention will be hereinafter particularlysetforth andclaimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is an elevation, partly in section, of the preferred form of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged side views, partly broken away, of the two ends of the machine; and Figs. 5 and 6 are views of another form of apparatus embodying the invention.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each view.

The apparatus is of the same general character as that shown in said Acklin patent; but comprises certain improvements therein. For example, I employ two compartments for the water by either providing a single tank with a transverse partition or by providing two separate tanks in line with each other, as better control of the water for the treatment of the metal maybe thus obtained. The two separate tanks will be first described.

The framework of the apparatus may be of any suitable construction, that illustrated in,

the drawings consisting of standards a, connected by cross-bars Z) and otherwise suitably braced. Supported in the framework are the two tanks 0 d, separated by the partition 0 At the receiving end of the machine is the sprocket-wheel e and at the delivery end thereof the sprocket-wheel c, the endless connected series of molds f passing around these sprocket-wheels and also passing in regular course over tracks or guideways provided for them, such tracks, as illustrated in Fig. 1, extending through the tanks, the track 0 in the tank 0 providing for the partial submerging of the molds therein and then rising up to the partition 0 while the track (1 extends downwardly from said partition into the tank (1, so as to entirely submerge the molds therein, and then rises from said tank, connecting with the inclined trackf,extending upwardly toward the sprocket-wheel e, at which point -the metal is discharged.

Extending under the inclined track f is the trough g, while above the track are the spray-pipes h,said spray-pipes being shown as extending longitudinally of the track, though any suitable arrangement thereof may be employed. At the foot of the trough g is the basin g, which receives the water from the spray-pipes, collecting the same, and having leading from its base the water-pipe 9 which extends forward to the first tank 0, communicating therewith, as shown in Fig. '2. Leading under the track from the basin g to the rear end of the tank (1 is the second trough (Z which receives any overflow or drippings of water and conducts the same into the tank d.

The water-supply to the tank cl may be of course arranged in any suitable way-tor example, a pipe 1' leads from the tank a into the Ice tank d, and the tank 0 has an overflow, as at 0 thereby providing means for regulating the temperature of the water in that tank, or the tank d may have an independent supplypipe 1', the object being in both instances to maintain the water in the tank 0 sufficiently cool and quiescent to prevent ebullition,which might throw the water upon the surface of the metal contained in the partially submerged molds and cause the boiling of the metal, and tomaintain the water of the tank (1 sufficiently hot so that upon the submerging of the highlyheated metal therein it will, through the heat absorbed by the water, maintain that body of water in a state of ebullition. Any suitable water-tank or apparatus for this purpose may of course be employed for example, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6,-where a single tank is used, as in the Acklin patent above referred to, the water is fed at the receiving end of the tank, as at k, where the molds are only partially submerged, so that as it flows backwardly toward the part of the tank where the molds are entirely submerged it will grad ually absorb sufficient heat to maintain the Water in that part of the tank in a state of ebullition. In this form of machine a partition Z may be used, over which the water may flow into the submerging-compartments of the tank, the tank having an overflow min front of the partition to regulate the temperature of the water where the molds are only partially submerged and an overflow m at the end of the tank from which the molds pass. In such case the two compartments of the tank form, in effect, two tanks, one compartment 01 for primary cooling and one compartment 11 for submerging.

The usual pouriug-basinp for receiving the metal from the casting-ladle and having the troughs 19, carrying the metal, in position for pouring into the molds is of course employed and the metal may be'poured into the molds either when the molds are in the water or just before they pass into the tank, the result being the same. 7

In practicing the invention where the double-tank apparatus is employed the metal is poured in a continuous controllable stream into the basin p, and thence into the molds as they travel continuously under the pouring-spouts p, and as the molds filled with metal travel within the tank 0, the molds being only partially submerged therein, the cooling action of the water in the tank will cause the quicker setting of the metal to such extent that the metal itself will not boil when brought into direct contact with the water,- the metal when first poured being so hot that should Water come in contact with the unset top face thereof it would cause the metal to boil and honeycomb such top face, such honeycomb being liable to break offin the subsequent handling of the pig. The first body of Water is therefore preferably maintained at the proper temperature for causing as rapid setting of the metal without contact therewith as practicable. At the proper time after the metal is so set, though still at a very high heat, the molds are carried up overthe partition 0 into the tank (6, and the molds with the metal contained therein are entirely submerged in said tank, the water being brought into direct contact with the metal and the body of water being of such heat that con tact with the metal will cause boiling or ebullition thereof, so providing for the escape of the steam as quickly as it is formed and the continual or repeated fresh contacting of the water with the metal, so that instead of the water being held from contact therewith by a layer of steam generated by the first contact of water with the metal this steam is permitted to escape, and, though the water is hotter on account of the repeated fresh contact of the other portions of Water directly with the metal, a more rapid cooling of the same is effected. After the metal has been carried through the tank cl it is carried up the inclined track f and may be still further cooled by the spraying of the water from the spray-pipes h on its surface, so that when it is dumped from the machine by the passage of the molds around the sprocket-wheel e it is practically cold and may be delivered to the cars. The apparatus illustrated is arranged for the gradual heating of the water, first, as itis sprayed upon the metal while being carried up the inclined track f, this water being collected inthe basin g and carried in the pipe g into the tank 0, and as the water travels through this tank it being itself gradually heated and then delivered into the tank d, by which time it is raised close to the boiling-point, so that the direct contact of the metal with the water willv cause its boiling or ebullition with the result above described. Any suitable arrangement for the feeding of the water may, however, be

employed. In practicing the invention according to the apparatus shown in Figs. 5 and 6, where a single tank is employed, the Water,- which may, if desired, have been employed for spraying the molds, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is carried to the receiving end of the tank kand travels backwardly through that tank until it is sufficiently heated to boil upon directcontact with the metal, such as where the track I passes down to a lower level or over the partition 1 and provides for the submerging of the molds and the metal contained therein, the water passing from the rear end of the tank at m. The result in either case is practically the same, except that the temperatures of the water can be No claim is made in this application for the method above described, as the same is embodied in said application filed by me July 31, 1899, Serial No. 725,604.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In pig-metal-casting apparatus,the combination with a suitable frame, of an endless connected series of traveling molds passing around the same, and two water-compartments arranged in line and provided with tracks for said traveling molds, the tracks passing upwardly over a partition between the compartments.

2. In pig-metal-casting apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, of an endless connected series of traveling molds passing around the same, and two water-compartments arranged in line and provided with tracks for said traveling molds, the tracks being arranged to carry the molds partially submerged through one compartment and wholly submerged through the other compartment.

3. In pig-metalcastin g apparatus, the com-,

bination with a suitable frame, of an endless connected series of traveling molds passing around the same, two water-compartments arranged in line and provided with tracks for said traveling molds, and water-supply connections to said compartments for maintaining the bodies of water therein at difierent heats.

4. In pig-metal-casting apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, of an endless connected series of traveling molds passing around the same, two water-compartments arranged in line and provided with tracks for said traveling molds, and an inclined trackway in line with and back of said compartments having spray-pipes over the same.

5. In pig-metal-casting apparatus, the com bination with a suitable frame, of an endless connected series of traveling molds passing around the same, two water-compartments arranged in line and provided with tracks for said traveling molds, an inclined trackway in line with and back of said compartments having spray-pipes over the same, a trough under the inclined trackway and water connections therefrom to the front compartment.

6. In pig-metal-casting apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, of an endless connected series of traveling molds passing around the same, two water-compartments arranged in line and provided with tracks for said traveling molds, an inclined trackway in line with and back of said compartments having spray-pipes over the same, a trough under said inclined track having a basin at the base thereof, and a connecting-pipe extending from said basin to the front compartment.

7. In pig-metal castin g apparatus, the combination with a suitable frame, of an endless connected series of traveling molds passing around the same, two water-compartments arranged in line and provided with tracks for said traveling molds, and water connections providing for the flow of the water from the front compartment into the rear compartment.

8. In pig-metalcastin g apparatus, the coinbination with a suitable frame, of an endless connected series of traveling molds passing around the same, and two water-compartments arranged in line and provided with tracks for said traveling molds, the tracks in the front compartment providing for the partial submerging of the molds and the tracks in the rear compartment providing for the complete submerging of the molds.

In testimony whereof I, the said WVILLIAM J. PATTERSON, have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM J. PATTERSON.

Witnesses:

GRACE O. RAYMOND, ROBERT C. ToTTEN. 

